Interfacedelen

Interfacedelen is a Dutch term used in software engineering and related fields to describe the modular parts that constitute an interface between components. In this sense, a software or hardware interface can be viewed as a set of interchangeable elements (or delen) such as a communication contract, data model, protocol, and adapter logic. The idea is to decompose an interface into independently evolving parts to improve reuse, interoperability, and maintainability.

Common interfacedelen include data schemas (for example JSON or XML schemas), transport or communication protocols (such as HTTP or MQTT), and binding and serialization mechanisms (such as JSON, Protobuf), as well as adapters or translators that map between internal models and external contracts. In API design this translates to versioned endpoints, standardized request and response shapes, and clearly documented contracts (for example via OpenAPI).

Design considerations for interfacedelen involve governance and clarity about boundaries. Key concerns include versioning and deprecation strategies to maintain backward compatibility, discovery and documentation of contracts, security exposure, and potential performance overhead from additional translation layers or adapters. Tooling that supports contract-first design and automated validation can help manage complexity.

Relation to broader concepts includes the ideas of interface contracts, APIs, and middleware, as well as design patterns like the adapter pattern. Interfacedelen are aligned with principles such as separation of concerns and, in some contexts, the Interface Segregation Principle. It is not a widely standardized term in English-language literature and is typically used in Dutch-speaking environments, with meaning varying by organizational context.